To the Editor:
When I first moved to Berne, I went to Town Hall to get a transfer-station permit. The town clerk, Anita Clayton, kept me waiting for 10 minutes and then grumpily handed me the permit. I didn’t feel welcomed. I’ve had multiple interactions with the town clerk since then and have yet to see her crack a smile.  Her recent attempts to gain elective office have been similarly grumpy.

Clayton interviewed with the Democratic Committee, seeking the committee’s endorsement for the position of town clerk. Apparently, the interview didn’t go well and the committee gave its endorsement to Clayton’s deputy — Jean Guarino. Demonstrating magnanimity in defeat, Clayton promptly fired her deputy.  Grumpy.

Clayton next decided she would run for town board and challenged the Democratically endorsed candidate, Tim Lippert in a Democratic primary — the only contest on the ballot. Clayton lost. Grumpy.

In an odd twist, Clayton enlisted the support of our highly paid part-time highway superintendent —Randy Bashwinger. Bashwinger, who is also the county Republican chairperson, proudly displayed a street sign for Clayton in his messy front yard and happily campaigned for her — to win a Democratic primary!  Very grumpy.

Before the vote was even tallied, Republican Chairperson Bashwinger crowed on Facebook that Clayton had won — the Democratic primary! Bashwinger thought Clayton had won because he had personally rounded up fistfuls of absentee ballots to help Clayton  win the Democratic primary! Extremely grumpy — and stupidly wrong.

In principled contrast, town justices Alan Zuk and Albert Raymond were endorsed by the Democratic Committee for re-election. They did not seek the Republican endorsement nor were they ever asked if they sought it.

Bashwinger’s Republican Party nonetheless endorsed Zuk and Raymond for the Republican line. Both Zuk and Raymond have filed papers declining the Republican endorsement! Speaks volumes.

If your sole platform is nothing more than a grumpy demand to elect Clayton to something (anything!), the voters of Berne have opted — thankfully — for principled positivity.

Lawrence Zimmerman

Berne

Editor’s note: Lawrence Zimmerman is a member of the Berne Planning Board.

See related story.